Manish Patel admitted to presenting a forged Indian passport to Border Patrol agents in the early-morning hours of January 20, 2017, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

Manish Patel admitted to presenting a forged Indian passport to Border Patrol agents in the early-morning hours of January 20, 2017, the US Justice Department said in a statement.(PTI Representative Photo)

A 43-year-old Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to using a false passport to fly from India to Canada and then illegally entering America.

Manish Patel admitted to presenting a forged Indian passport to Border Patrol agents in the early-morning hours of January 20, 2017, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

Patel used the forged passport – which was in another person’s name, but bore Patel’s photograph – to fly from India to Toronto in prior to illegally entering the US, it said.

Patel faces up to 10 years in prison and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, and a hefty fine $250,000.

“A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the US Sentencing Guidelines and other factors,” the statement said.

This case was investigated by the US Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations, it said.